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Men's Basketball

Seahawks, Pirates Continue Rivalry In Pre-Holiday Clash

Game #8: UNCW "Seahawks" (4-3) vs. East Carolina "Pirates" (5-5)
Trask Coliseum (5,100) • Wilmington, N.C.
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 • 7 p.m.
Seahawk Digital Network (Audio)  • Live Stats
Twitter: @UNCWMensHoops • #wingsup
Game Notes: UNCW | East Carolina
22207
UNCW "Seahawks"
2014-15 Record: 4-3, 0-0 CAA
Last Game: Dec. 17 Vs. Liberty - W, 73-70, OT (Recap | Box Score)
Head Coach: Kevin Keatts (1st season)
Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Homepage
22376East Carolina "Pirates"
2014-15 Record: 5-5, 0-0 AAC
Last Game: Dec. 13 Vs. James Madison - W, 70-58 (Recap | Box Score)
Head Coach: Dale Layer (6th season)
Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Homepage

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – New UNCW men's basketball coach Kevin Keatts has heard all the stories about the heated regional rivalry between the Seahawks and their purple-crazed neighbor to the north, East Carolina. Now he gets to experience it first-hand.

Keatts and the 4-3 Seahawks entertain the Pirates on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the finale of a rare tripleheader at Trask Coliseum.  East Tennessee State takes on Jacksonville State and UNCW entertains Charleston Southern on the final day of the Seahawks Hampton Inn Women's Basketball Christmas Invitational earlier in the afternoon.

Keatts and the Seahawks are coming off a 73-70 overtime thriller over stubborn Liberty on Wednesday in a tightly-contested game that featured 52 fouls and 67 free throws.  After controlling most of the pairing, UNCW watched as the Flames forced overtime with a last-second layup in regulation, but the Seahawks prevailed in the overtime period.

"Anything you can start a winning streak is good," said Keatts, whose team is seeking its second two-game string of the season. The Seahawks put together back-to-back road wins over UNC Greensboro and VMI last month.

 "In college basketball, you have to protect your home court. It's an important game for us and we'd love to keep it going at home."
Keatts described ECU as "a dangerous team" that will present a formidable challenge to UNCW's unblemished home start this season.

East Carolina stands 5-5 overall this season after downing Colonial Athletic Association member James Madison, 70-58, last Saturday in Greenville. The Pirates are playing only their third road game of the young season and have three players – B.J. Tyson (15.5), Caleb White (14.2) and Terry Whisnant (13.1) – averaging in double figures.

"This is a very good East Carolina team coming in," added Keatts. "They're coming off a good win against a good James Madison team, so we have to be prepared to play.

"They can score from three different positions. It's going to be a big challenge for us. We have to do a good job of keeping their guys out of the lane. They live in the lane, but they also have some guys who are capable of stepping up and knocking down some three's."

UNCW and ECU are meeting for the 62nd time overall, but for the first time in Wilmington since Dec. 3, 2008.  The Seahawks own a 34-27 advantage in the series, including a 20-7 advantage on their home floor at Trask Coliseum.

Last year's installment in the series ended with a classic finish at Minges Coliseum. UNCW's Cedrick Williams swatted away an attempted game-tying layup by Prince Williams as time expired to preserve a 70-68 victory for the Seahawks. Williams wound up with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds to anchor four players in double figures.

Keatts has the Seahawks playing well behind a balanced offensive attack and scrappy defense. Six players are averaging at least 6.0 ppg, with three players in double digits, and the Seahawks are holding opponents to 40.4 percent shooting. UNCW's last four opponents have shot just 36.6 percent from the floor on 94-of-257 field goals.

Moreover, UNCW is among the nation's leaders in steals. The Seahawks rank 31st among the nation's 355 NCAA Division I schools with 8.9 steals per outing.

Following the weekend matchup with the Pirates, the Seahawks wrap up the pre-Christmas portion of their non-conference schedule by playing another longtime foe, Campbell, on Tuesday in Buies Creek, N.C. It will mark 100th game between the two schools.

According to Keatts, "This stretch will help prepare us when we get into conference play. It's okay, but there's short prep for a lot of good teams."
Saturday's clash between the two rivals can be viewed for free on the Seahawk Digital Network via UNCWsports.com. Fans should click on the "Live Events" button on the top right-hand corner of the main page and follow the prompts for the free broadcast. A 15-minute pregame show kicks off the coverage followed by first-half coverage, a 15-minute halftime show, second-half action and a 15-minute post-game show.

Live-in game updates are also available on Twitter by following @UNCWmenshoops.

Season tickets remain on sale for UNCW's home schedule and may be purchased at the UNCW Athletics Ticket Office in Trask Coliseum or by visiting UNCWsports.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the UNCW Athletic Ticket Office at 910-962-3233 or 1-800-808-UNCW.
 

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Players Mentioned

Cedrick Williams

#40 Cedrick Williams

F
6' 9"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Cedrick Williams

#40 Cedrick Williams

6' 9"
Senior
F